Welcome
to the Clacton & District Local History Society's Web Page

The Clacton & District Local
History Society was founded in 1985 to research, record and promote
the history of Clacton and its immediate locality.

We hold regular monthly meetings
starting at 7:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month (except
August because it coincides with Carnival Fireworks Night!) at the
Baptist Church Hall, Pier Avenue, Clacton.

Our programme for 2001 currently
looks
like this:

2001

8
March:
Essex Seaside
Heritage
Norman Jacobs

12
April:
Clacton at War
Frank Black

10
May:
Clacton
Entertainments
Bob & Reg Young

14
June:
Outing to Frinton

12
July:
Memorabilia Moments

2
August:
Outing to Harwich

13
September: To Be Arranged

11
October:
Annual General Meeting

Time for a bit of history
and a picture!

This is Vivian
Woodward, probably Clacton's most
famous inhabitant. He started his football career with Clacton Town
football club and went on to play for Spurs, Chelsea and England,
captaining the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games gold medallists. Altogether
he was capped 66 times for England at full and amateur international
level. You can read more about him by clicking on his name.

And now back to the Society.
We have a permanent exhibition of material relating to the history of
Clacton on permanent display in the Local History Room on the second
floor of Clacton Library. It is open to the public every Tuesday and
Saturday morning from 9:30 - 12:45. The subjects covered include The
Town, The
Pier, Holland-on-Sea, Jaywick,
Clacton Fire Brigade, West
Cliff Theatre, Butlin's, Clacton at War, Holland-on-Sea
and Weeley
plus a showcase devoted to the history of the Belle Steamers, in
particular the Clacton Belle. We also have running currently a special
exhibition on the history of St Osyth Road School.

We used to issue a 6 monthly
journal called Clacton Chronicle. It was a highly successful
magazine having a print run of 2000 with regular sales as far away as
Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Local
History Magazine said it was the
best of its kind in Britain. Unfortunately it proved too costly to
keep going and we had to abandon it at least temporarily. There is
another issue almost ready to print, but...So, if anyone out there has
lots of money and feels like sponsoring a really worthwhile journal,
now's your chance!

Membership of the Society
costs £6 per year, for which you get free admission to all meetings (£1.50
to non-members) plus a discount on Society publications, which apart
from Clacton Chronicle includes Town Walk no.1,
Millennium Town Walk
and "The
Ramblas Concert Party" by Bernard Polley. If you would like to
join please write to Victoria Adams-Salmon at 32 St Andrew's Road,
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex enclosing a cheque for £6.

The Society also has a number
of books for sale. See separate list
Books

If you would like to e-mail
with any comments, suggestions, questions, sponsorship, information or
anything else please contact me on either: